Getting a good night’s sleep is essential for mental and physical wellbeing. Ideally, one should get at least 8 hours of continuous sleep every night. However, some people find this hard to achieve. They may have trouble going to sleep, wake up frequently or have a very poor quality sleep.

Here are a few tips to help you improve your sleep:

Set a sleep schedule: Like children, adults also need to go to sleep and wake up at the same time every day. This should be followed for at least 6 days a week. Having a sleep in the day may seem like a good idea but this can affect your ability to go to sleep in time at night and make you wake up the next morning feeling tired. Hence, train your body to sleep and wake up at the same time every day.

Avoid stimulants after sunset: Nicotine and caffeine can be very detrimental to your sleep cycle. The effects of these substances can often last for hours. Caffeine not only makes it difficult to fall asleep but can also make a person wake up frequently at night. Alcohol can make a person seem sleepy initially but can make him or her wake up earlier than usual and hence, disrupt the sleep schedule. So, avoid these substances for at least a few hours before going to bed. Instead, you could drink a cup of calming chamomile tea to soothe the nerves and help you sleep well.

Create the right sleep atmosphere: Ban the television, tablet and other mobile screens from your bedroom. The light from these devices makes it difficult to fall asleep and the material being seen can play on your mind for hours and make you toss and turn. Make your room as dark as possible to make it easier to fall asleep. Using blackout curtains can be a good idea. Also, make sure the noise and temperature levels are conducive to sleep.

Exercise: Exercise has many benefits. This includes better sleep quality. A workout tires the body and reduces the chances of waking up in the middle of the night. However, timing your exercise routine is very important. The ideal time for a workout is in the early morning or early evening. Do not work out just before going to bed as this can have a stimulating effect on the mind.

Limit naps: Avoid napping through the day. While this may seem like a good way to catch up on sleep, it can have a detrimental effect on the quality of your night sleep. If you must nap in the afternoon, keep it short. Training your body to associate sleep with darkness can make it easier for you to fall asleep at night.

Hence, if you are also having any sort of troubles with your sleep, immediately apply the above discussed tips in your daily life and you will see the results within a few days.

By this you not only lose weight but also your quality of life increases, and health improves. You also notice improvements in your career, work and relationships. And thus you lose weight permanently with this scientific method.

Old age is the most fathomed stage of any human’s lifecycle. By the time all the hair are greyish white, teeth are weak, and falling off; there is almost nothing left to fuel the sparks of desire to live. It is scientifically proven that during old age an average human faces the maximum amount of problems.

When an individual is all old and wise, they often become victims of various psychological conditions, which include depression, loneliness, and anxiety. All these terms are overlooked as they are old people waiting for the death, but what their children and younger ones, fail to realize is that all they need is a little bit of g
uidance and counseling to feel better and stay happy and content till their last breath.

Why is counseling required in old age?

To get rid of the depressive lows: When a person turns old, he/she is compelled to let go of numerous things that he/she never wanted to live without. Some of these include—they are forced to retire from their job, they are distanced from their family, and they become entirely obsolete with no purpose for continuing their lives. All these situations often make the elderly feel that there is nothing left for them anymore. It makes them feel sad and depressed and at the same time might make them lonely. They know that they are not physically fit for the job, but they still have a feeling of uselessness deep down in their heart.

To rev up social interaction: By going to a counselor, the old people can speak their hearts out, feel connected to someone, and can seek help for the things that no one could understand. Counselors can suggest them activities that include social interaction and more, that could use up their free time and keep them occupied. They can recommend small yet efficient and meaningful exercises, which include reading books or watching movies to keep their mind diverted and distracted. A counselor can do wonders and provide excellent facilities, as well.

To get help in case of traumas: Counseling is also essential in case of individuals who have suffered a significant trauma in their old age. This includes losing a family member in some accident or being entirely neglected by one's own family. Even in India, many families consider their parents and grandparents to be a burden and send them to old age homes without thinking how they would feel. In such cases, counseling becomes essential to ensure that our elders have a stable mind and are satisfied with the life they have led.

Counseling at old age is not a shameful thing or activity in vain. It is very much essential to ensure that our elders are confident and happy during their last stage of life.

We have a tendency to be our own worst critics. This affects your self-esteem that in turn affects how you live your life. Self-esteem can be defined as how a person feels about himself or herself and his or her abilities. Here are a few tips that could help you boost your self-esteem.

Make the right comparisons: It is human nature to judge yourself in comparison to other factors. However, comparing yourself to others is never a good idea. Each of us has different strengths and weaknesses. While one person may be great at outdoor sports, art may be another’s strong suit. Find your own strengths. If you must compare, make a comparison on how you have progressed. If you like writing, look at how your style has evolved. Similarly, if you like a sport, look at the improvements you have made.

Set realistic goals: Whether its weight loss or career, it is important to set realistic and attainable goals. This should never be set in relation to another person. For example, setting a goal to get a promotion faster than your friend is a bad goal. Instead, set a timeline by when you want to reach the next step of your career. Ensure that these goals are realistic. You may have peers who have turned entrepreneurs but if you know that you do not have the necessary financial backing available, setting a goal to start up your own company may not be a good idea. Instead, if you do want to set up your own firm set a goal for the amount of money you need to put aside.

Focus on things you can control: There are some things we can control and others that we cannot. Do not focus on the latter. For example, you have little control over the education you received as a child. However, you do have control over the training and education you want to receive now. If you feel that you need to learn something more, take steps towards it. Merely saying that you did not go to a top school will not help.

Celebrate the small Stuff: Even small victories need to be celebrated. For a socially conscious person, simply going out for a cup of coffee with someone else is a victory. Similarly, booking online tickets could be a victory for a technologically challenged person. Celebrate these small things in life and you will soon be celebrating more things than dwelling on things you feel bad about.

Depression in children and young people affect people from ages 5 to 18. About one in four children in India suffer from childhood depression. Boys and girls up to the age of 10 and 16 respectively, are more prone to depression. As per the report released by WHO, among 10 South-East Asian countries, India has the highest suicide rate. An estimated rate of suicide per 1 lakh population of the age group of 15-29 is 35.5 percent.

Definition and Signs
According to Thompson (1995), depression is an overall lowering of normal functions which is not specific to any one component of the mind. Clinically, the signs and symptoms of depression have the following components:

Mood Changes: sadness, irritability, sense of loss of interest even in cherished activities

Impairment in personal and/or social functioning: Self-harm, deterioration in school work without any specific reason, sudden and persistent levels of aggression and irritability.

Causes:

Marital or family disharmony

Divorce and separation

Physical and sexual abuse

Domestic violence

Problems at school: bullying, social isolation, exam failure

Severe personal assault

Children with parents suffering from depression

Diagnosis of Childhood Depression
Any child suffering from symptoms of depression for at least 2 weeks, should be scheduled to visit his health care provider. Parents and guardians should eliminate any physical reasons for the symptoms before visiting a mental health professional. There are no specific medical or psychological tests that can clearly diagnose childhood depression. Following measures can help to make an accurate diagnosis:

Questionnaires for both the child and parents.

Interviews and study of the patient's history by a mental health professional.

Information from friends, teachers, and classmates can be useful to detect early symptoms of childhood depression.

To promote normal social and emotional development and school performance

Relieve family distress

To prevent or reduce the risk of relapse

Psychological therapy is the first line of treatment and includes:

Cognitive behavioural therapy in group and individual format

Interpersonal psychotherapy focuses on interpersonal issues like interpersonal conflicts, grief and loss and its effect on current feelings and problems

Psychodynamic child psychotherapy where children are given a way to express their issues through playing, drawing, talking

Family therapy deals with solving family-related issues and management of crisis

Art therapy is an approach to vent out your negative feelings using creative expression as an outlet.

Guided self-help helps you in understanding the core of the problems and finding ways to manage the same with the help of a professional.

Relaxation and self-modelling can go a long way in dealing with depression. Relaxation techniques like exercising, meditating and yoga help your mind soothe and reduce stress and anxiety which in turn elevates the mood and reduces depression.

Counselling has help people overcome loneliness and discuss the things that make them feel low openly. This helps in seeking a solution for that particular cause.

In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!

It is a common trend among youngsters to smoke weed as they tend to think it makes them look cool. It is a common misconception that smoking pot relieves various social and personal problems. It is used as a form of escape mechanism that allows them to avoid problems in life.

The usual reasons why people turn to smoking pot are:

Peer pressure: You may have friends who smoke weed on a regular basis, so you may be tempted to join in.

Boredom: It is a usual resort to escape from boredom or craving excitement. It is said that smoking weed helps in filling the internal void that results from lack of excitement.

Rebellion: Weed has also been connected and continues to be a symbol of rebellion among today's teenagers and youngsters.

Risks:

Smoking weed has been shown to shrink the size of the orbitofrontal cortex, a region of the brain that is important in making decisions and processing emotions.

Body dysmorphic disorder is a type of psychiatric disorder. It is when you cannot think about one or more defects or flaws in your appearance. These flaws are usually very minor and sometimes even unnoticeable. This is actually a much more serious disorder than many other people may think. This is because people with body dysmorphic disease may avoid many situations and also suffer from severe anxiety or shame. Here is everything you need to know about body dysmorphic disease.

Causes
Just like other psychiatric disorders, there is no known cause of body dysmorphic disease. However, there are a lot of factors, which increases your risk of developing it which include:

Genes: People whose blood relatives have this disease or have obsessive compulsive disorder are more likely to develop this disorder as well.

Environment: Cultural and social influences are a major cause of body dysmorphic disorder as well.

Symptoms
There are, however a lot of symptoms of body dysmorphic disorder, most of which are psychological in nature. They include:

Having a preoccupation with a flaw in the body, which is very minor or perhaps even unnoticeable.

Beliefs that people are mocking you in relation to your flaw.

Being a perfectionist

It is also worth noting that this obsession can affect any part of the body and can also include several parts of the body or different parts of the body at different times. Here are the possible treatments of body dysmorphic disorder.

Treatments
There are a variety of treatments, which a patient can opt for and a variety of methods of curing the problem. Here are the most common.

Cognitive behavioral therapy: This is when a therapist tries to stop you from thinking about the flaw that you have been focusing on way too much.

SSRI: SSRI stands for Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors. They are given in cases, where body dysmorphic disorder is caused by problems related to the brain chemical serotonin.

Hospitalization: This is a severe measure, but may need to be taken if you are in danger of harming somebody or you cannot perform daily activities. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a psychologist.

In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!

Love:It does make the world go round. With millions of songs and movies that have this emotion in its center, can it really be any other way? From early life, love acts as a security blanket from our parents, a growing up adventure with siblings and an out of the world experience with pets. When you learn to care and love, it becomes a life habit that helps you find happiness in all situations.

In several Harvard studies over the years on finding the 'secret of happiness'and the connection between happiness, health, and love, one common undisputed fact emerged that love and good relationships keep you healthier and happier. There really is no medicine like having someone to love and share a life with. Note that you need these reasons for being in love but it is great to know them any way.

The heart and love connection: Our heart has been connected with the emotion of love for so many reasons. Historically, the heart was thought to be the seat to thinking, emotions and memories. It beating extra hard during excitement and love gave an automatic connection to the two. This popular notion continued to take center stage even after it was scientifically proven that the heart only pumped blood while the brain took up other functionalities. The association remains strong until date where the beating heart as a life source is associate with love - which makes life a happy place.

Love can boost your immune system: A research by Ronald Glazer and Jan Kiecolt-Glaser suggested that couples who engaged in positive conflict resolution had a higher functioning immune system than those who didn't. Which means, if you get into an argument, you need to play fair and play nice. Couples who argued and stonewalled showed a larger decline in their immediate immune system functioning. Some connection!

Love more, live longer: According to a 2004 study by the CDC, married couples had the lowest mortality rates. Generally speaking, people who are in committed, loving relationships experience less stress which translates to improved heart health. Happy and loving relationships also coax us into giving up risky behaviours like smoking, especially when you want to raise a family. This in turn propels a healthy lifestyle.

It can reduce your pain: Pain is a feeling when we are physically harmed internally or externally and its intensity is controlled by our brain. But the heart plays an equally important role in its intensity - i.e. reducing it. If you hold the hand of the person you love, it can minimize your feelings of pain. No wonder then that women in labor hold their husband's hand to tide through the pain!

Love can keep your heart happy: Love increases the feeling of bliss and elevates you into a different sphere of optimism, energy and sense of well being - all of which go into keeping your heart healthy.

In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!

With today's lifestyle, it is almost impossible to avoid stress. Each person experiences stress in a different way and can tolerate different levels of stress. For some work is a source of stress while for others it could be strained relationships or financial trouble. Stress, if not dealt correctly can harm a person mentally, emotionally and physically. Stress can also make a person age faster. Hence. it becomes essential to understand how to deal with the wear and tear of stress.

Cut back on caffeine, alcohol and nicotine: Stress can fasten your heartbeat and lead to anxiousness and depression. Turning to nicotine, alcohol or any form of caffeinated drink may temporarily make you feel better but will worsen the situation in the long run. This is because all three of them are considered stimulants. Instead hydrate your body with plenty of water, fresh fruits juices and herbal teas.

Exercise: Regular exercise is beneficial for a healthy mind and body. Exercising give you some time to yourself and gives you a break from whatever may be triggering your stress. Stress also causes the release of hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol. This can make you jumpy and tense. However, by exercising these hormones can be put to use and your body can be brought back to a calmer state.

Talk to someone: Stress can lead to anxiety and depression. This can make you socially withdrawn and lead to even more stress. Hence, it is essential to find someone who you can open up to and share your thoughts and experience with. This will also help you make better decisions as stress can cloud your judgement.

Get a good night s sleep: Stress can affect your sleep cycles and make you either an insomniac or make you sleep excessively. In both cases, you wake up feeling tired and sans any energy to take on the next day. Give yourself a routine of going to bed and waking up at the same time every day to fight these effects of stress and to give your mind time to refresh itself. It will also help to avoid watching television or working on laptops or mobiles for an hour before going to bed.

Prioritize: Seeing a never ending to-do list is one of the most common stress triggers. In such situations, stress can make you unable to complete your tasks efficiently and you re left either feeling overworked or with an even longer to-do list for the next day. Hence, it is important to learn to prioritise tasks and get them done one at a time. Also, learn to say NO to people when you know you do not have the time to take on additional tasks. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a psychologist.

Emotional abuse is a lesser known topic that is very important to talk about. Most individuals are oblivious to the fact that such a term even exists. This article is mainly about educating people about what emotional abuse is, how it affects children, thereby, affecting the upcoming generation altogether.

Like physical abuse, emotional abuse too is very real and harmful enough to cause enormous damage to a child’s mental health. So what exactly is emotional abuse?

Any sort of persistent, emotional neglect or emotional maltreatment can become emotional abuse to children and may cause havoc in their emotional development. The world runs at a very fast pace and parents usually are caught up in earning well for the family, raising the children properly and transforming them into respectable adults. This entire process brings about enormous stress and frustration. As such, unknowingly or knowingly, these parents end up emotionally abusing their children. No, that is not the end of it. It is not only the parents who can cause emotional abuse, but also there are numerous other factors to be considered.

So to make the explanation process easier, here are some points that explain what emotional or psychological abuse includes.

Scaring or humiliating a child deliberately and regularly

Isolating or ignoring a child

Telling a child that he/she is worthless, inadequate or unloved

Not providing the children any opportunity to express him/her by deliberately silencing them or making fun of their expression

Age inappropriate or developmentally inappropriate expectations from children. For example, making a child believe that topping the class is necessary and is a shame otherwise.

Overprotecting the child and hindering their exploration and learning

Preventing them from participating in an absolutely normal social interaction. For example, asking girls not to mix with boys and punishing them for doing so.

A child seeing or hearing utter ill-treatment of another child or person

Serious bullying by other children and cyber bullying

Threatening a child and calling names

Making a child perform any sort of act that might be degrading

Exposing a child to distressing interactions like domestic abuse or drug abuse.

Not expressing positive or congratulatory feelings to the child

Not showing any sort of emotional attachment or interactions with the child

Causing physical abuse to the child.

Trying too hard to control the child’s life and not allowing him/her to recognize their individuality.

Yes, there is no such thing as good parenting or bad parenting. However, parents need to know how much any sort of emotional abuse may affect the future development of their child. In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!